University Press Releases

U.S. News survey ranks Santa Clara University law school among top 100 overall, eighth best in intellectual property law

Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - April 23, 2009. Santa Clara University School of Law was again named one of the top 100 law schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report's annual graduate-school rankings issued today. The magazine also recognized Santa Clara Law for having one of the most diverse student populations of any U.S. law school.

In addition, the Intellectual Property Law program at the Santa Clara School of Law was cited as being among the top in the nation, ranked 8th again this year. Other California law schools recognized for their strong IP programs are Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.

Santa Clara Law was also recognized as the tenth most diverse law school in the nation, with 28 percent Asian-American students and a wide diversity of other racial and ethnic groups also represented. Florida A&M University, Texas Southern University, and Loyola Marymount University were among the schools with greater diversity.

In addition to its juris doctor program, the Santa Clara School of Law offers specialty certificates in high tech law, international law, and public interest law, as well as master’s degrees in intellectual property and international law. The University also offer joint J.D./MBA and J.D/MSIS degrees.

The rankings were published in U.S. News &World Report’s annual “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2010” publication. The rankings are based on expert opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students. For more information, see http://www.usnews.com.

About the diversity ranking
U.S. News creates a diversity index based on the total proportion of minority students—not including international students—and the mix of racial and ethnic groups on campus. The index is calculated using demographic data reflecting each law school’s student body during the 2008-09 academic year, including both full- and part-time students. The groups that form the basis for the calculations are African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and non-Hispanic whites.

About Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara Law, founded in 1911 on the site of California’s oldest operating higher-education institution, is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. One of the nation’s most diverse law schools, Santa Clara Law offers its 975 students an academically rigorous program, including graduate degrees in international law and intellectual property law; a combined J.D./MBA degree; and certificates in intellectual property law, international law, and public interest and social justice law. Santa Clara Law is located in the world-class business center of Silicon Valley and is distinguished nationally for its highly ranked program in intellectual property. For more information, see www.law.scu.edu.

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its 8,758 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.